Returning from SMX West
This past week, ArteWorks attended the Search Marketing Expo (SMX) in Santa Clara California, and I must say the experience is well worth it to anyone interested in any type of search engine marketing. Representatives from all of the major search engines as well as the most knowledgeable people in our field were in attendance. The seminars were focused, the keynotes were inspirational, but most of all, the networking was tremendous. This was my first conference to attend as a representative for ArteWorks, and getting to know so many brilliant and fun people in the industry was certainly a highlight.
The conference started Monday evening with a networking bash (with drinks provided), which was a great way to break the ice with people I have only known in the blogosphere. The next morning the keynote started early, lead by Danny Sullivan of Search Engine Land, focusing mainly on blended, personalized, and social Search. After a break, the seminars began. The next three days would be a solid chunk of focused info sessions ranging from social media, to video, to reputation management, to Q & A with search engine engineers, and beyond. Each seminar would be lead by a panel of experts in a particular field and was open to email questions at the end. I concentrated on the social media and blended search oriented seminars as this is what I am most interested in, and I found the presentations to be quite useful. Though I am already familiar with most of the concepts and strategies addressed, I felt like I was going down the laundry list of factors that make up a successful Internet marketing campaign and reevaluating my approach. For someone new to the industry, these types of seminars would be absolutely invaluable.
Now on to the parties! Each night there was an organized “networking” function that encouraged chatting with new people in the industry while letting loose a little bit. I felt that the atmosphere was extremely open and friendly, and a fantastic avenue for getting to know some of the most knowledgeable people in Search as well as those just getting started. Not only did I make some of the most valuable business connections ever, I genuinely had a great time doing it. We are not alone, all you Search Marketers out there!
If you have ever considered attending one of these events, I hope you will take my recommendation and make it happen. SMX offers so many great advantages in this industry, and it would be a shame to miss out.
About the Author: Peter Hamilton is the Project Manager in charge of the Seattle office of ArteWorks SEO. He has a Bachelor's degree in radio, television and film and extensive experience in social media marketing. Mr. Hamilton also heads up the ArteWorks SEO educational video series on topics related to Internet marketing and search engine optimization.
The conference started Monday evening with a networking bash (with drinks provided), which was a great way to break the ice with people I have only known in the blogosphere. The next morning the keynote started early, lead by Danny Sullivan of Search Engine Land, focusing mainly on blended, personalized, and social Search. After a break, the seminars began. The next three days would be a solid chunk of focused info sessions ranging from social media, to video, to reputation management, to Q & A with search engine engineers, and beyond. Each seminar would be lead by a panel of experts in a particular field and was open to email questions at the end. I concentrated on the social media and blended search oriented seminars as this is what I am most interested in, and I found the presentations to be quite useful. Though I am already familiar with most of the concepts and strategies addressed, I felt like I was going down the laundry list of factors that make up a successful Internet marketing campaign and reevaluating my approach. For someone new to the industry, these types of seminars would be absolutely invaluable.
Now on to the parties! Each night there was an organized “networking” function that encouraged chatting with new people in the industry while letting loose a little bit. I felt that the atmosphere was extremely open and friendly, and a fantastic avenue for getting to know some of the most knowledgeable people in Search as well as those just getting started. Not only did I make some of the most valuable business connections ever, I genuinely had a great time doing it. We are not alone, all you Search Marketers out there!
If you have ever considered attending one of these events, I hope you will take my recommendation and make it happen. SMX offers so many great advantages in this industry, and it would be a shame to miss out.
About the Author: Peter Hamilton is the Project Manager in charge of the Seattle office of ArteWorks SEO. He has a Bachelor's degree in radio, television and film and extensive experience in social media marketing. Mr. Hamilton also heads up the ArteWorks SEO educational video series on topics related to Internet marketing and search engine optimization.
Labels: internet marketing, search engine optimization, search marketing expo
posted by Peter Hamilton - Arteworks SEO at
12:27 AM
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